Reif iced for a good cause
MIT President L. Rafael Reif has accepted ALS Ice Bucket Challenges from Harvard President Drew Faust and the MIT Edgerton Center. The Ice Bucket Challenge is raising funds to help scientists research the causes of and potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. President Reif invited the MIT community to participate with him on Killian Court this morning. He dedicated the event to Karolina Fraczkowska '01, whose husband recently died from the disease. The challenge, which has gone viral on social media, has raised more than $40 million to date. Those who are called out are asked to pledge either to donate $100 to the ALS Association, or to be doused with ice water. In recent weeks, people have taken to doing both, as President Reif did today. In true MIT fashion, Reif was doused by student-built contraptions — one for each of his challenges. Members of...